Survey Charts

In 1971, Sonya Rapoport discovered a series of antique geological survey charts in a desk she had purchased. Drawing and painting directly on these, she developed her “Nu Shu” language – a collection of stencils which represent gendered symbols – a plastic housing was a uterus, a mandarin orange was a fetus, a pool cue holder was an udder, a fleur-de-lis was an infant, etc.

As her interest in exploring the meaning of these symbols grew, she began copying elements from the survey charts – including the grid, numerical data, and written notation – into large-scale, acrylic, airbrushed paintings and smaller works on paper.

These works represent a critical transition to Rapoport’s interest in information, symbolic communication, and visual analysis, and were the culmination of her three-decade engagement with painting.